


Muddied Boots

by galaxy_of_fools



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Light Angst, Not Beta Read, Season/Series 01, Whump, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29318970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxy_of_fools/pseuds/galaxy_of_fools
Summary: Barely a standard month has passed since Ahsoka was assigned to be Master Skywalker’s padawan, and she is eager to prove herself as a capable Jedi. She gets the chance when the 501st is sent to the jungle moon Yavin IV in response to a mysterious distress call being broadcasted from the moon’s surface. But as the jungle closes in around them and Ahsoka’s strengths are tested, she begins to worry she isn't cut out to be Anakin's apprentice after all.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo & Ahsoka Tano, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo & CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives & Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	Muddied Boots

**Author's Note:**

> Kind of an AU I guess? I haven’t seen the Clone Wars show or the movie in a really long time, so I’m not sure how well the timeline matches up here, and I’m a little shaky with the characterization of some of the clones and their relationships with the main cast. It’s all in good fun though, so I hope it’s not too noticeable.
> 
> Shameless self-promotion at the end of the chapter.

Ahsoka had to fight to keep from bouncing up and down as the gunship approached the jungle moon. She couldn't see much of the surface through the thin, slitted viewports cut into the ship’s tightly sealed doors, but during the initial briefing they’d been shown holos of the dense jungles and clear seas—as well as some short descriptions of hazardous wildlife to watch out for—and the glimpses of dark green and blue she caught flashing past the tinted transparisteel seemed to corroborate the report.

She couldn't help herself. She was just so  _ excited.  _ She knew that they were there on serious business—how could they not be, they were at war, after all—and that whoever had sent the distress call was obviously in some kind of danger, but she had never been in a jungle before. They’d learned about them, sure, in her classes back at the Temple, but watching a holo of Master Fisto gushing over fifty unique species of jungle beetles couldn't have been the same as being there in person.

So yeah. She was excited. 

Some of her excitement must have leaked through her newly formed bond with Master Skywalker because he shot her an irritated look from the front of the ship. He had stuck her in the back, squeezed in between two clones she hadn't learned the names of yet but was quickly becoming _very_ closely acquainted with. The tips of her montrals barely came up to their shoulders, and every time the ship turned she was inevitably crushed in between them.

_ Stop it,  _ she felt more than heard. A rush of annoyance flooded her and Anakin’s bond.  _ Be serious.  _

She hadn't quite gotten the hang of speaking like that yet, so she flashed him an apologetic smile and did her best to release her excitement into the Force like Master Kenobi was always saying. All it seemed to do was deepen Anakin’s irritation.

She must have shoved it into the bond instead. Oops.

Anakin rolled his eyes and turned back to the front. 

Ahsoka tightened her grip on the handle above her. Her arm was stretched almost painfully, and she had to stand on her toes to even reach it. It didn't hurt much. She just had to grow into it.

The ship banked slightly, and the clones at her sides crashed into her with a muttered apology of, “Sorry, sir.” She smiled up at them in favor of actually responding. She still wasn't used to being in command and she was…she wasn't  _ worried,  _ per se, that she’d say the wrong thing. She was just being cautious.

Anakin turned to address the troops. Ahsoka straightened as much as she could, which wasn't much considering she was already stretched almost to her limit. She couldn't see much of her master through the ranks of clones separating him, but if she stood at  _ just _ the right angle she could peer through a gap in between the clone’s helmets and see his face. Currently, it was set in a serious expression. 

“Alright, listen up. Like Obi-Wan mentioned during the briefing, this place can be extremely dangerous if you aren't paying close attention to your surroundings.” She might be imagining the pointed look he seemed to be giving her, but she thought that she probably wasn't. “So I want everyone to be on high alert at all times. No wandering off on your own, no poking interesting looking plants, and no petting the wildlife. The signal is coming from a beacon about four klicks to the south, but the area is so overgrown that this is the closest we can land. We should arrive in no later than two hours, assuming nothing goes wrong.”

A chorus of groans went up at that, and everyone quickly knocked on their helmets. Ahsoka looked around curiously. 

“Why’d you have to jinx us like that, general?” said a clone she didn't know. He was an ARC trooper, it looked like. She made a mental note to learn his name, he seemed interesting. “Now there’s  _ bound _ to be trouble.”

Anakin rose his hands defensively. “Hey! I’m just saying! We have a timeframe we’re supposed to keep. So as long as nothing bad happens—”

Another chorus of groans filled the ship, followed by the hollow rapping of thirty fists against plastoid helmets. 

Ahsoka’s curiosity won over her apprehension, and she gently tapped on the elbow of the clone to her right. He looked down at her and must have read her confused look, because he leaned down and whispered, “Good luck charm. Not sure who started it, but it’s a whole thing now. I was as confused as you were when I first joined.”

Ahsoka considered that for a second, then she gently rapped her knuckles on the hard tip of her montral. The clone huffed out a quiet laugh. “Commander Tano, right?”

Ahsoka nodded. “Yeah. You can call me Ahsoka, though. Commander Tano sounds weird.”

“I think you’ll probably have to get used to it,” the clone replied. 

Ahsoka shrugged as best she could. “What’s your name?” she asked, redirecting the conversation. 

“CT-1111,” the clone introduced himself. “Tally.”

Ahsoka grinned. “Nice to meet you, Tally.”

She couldn't see Tally’s smile, but she felt his affection through the Force. It was warm and purple-y, like a flower that’d been soaking in the sun. “Nice to meet you too, Ahsoka.”

“Focus up!” Anakin called. Ahsoka and Tally snapped to attention. “We’re landing.”

Sure enough, the ship was slowing. As they descended, Ahsoka felt the life of the moon wash over her, the Force of every tree, every insect, every scrap of moss pooling into a sea of silver light. It was brilliant, almost blinding. Ahsoka rapidly tapped her fingers against her leg, eager to see it all for herself.

Finally, she felt the ship touch down, and the doors slid open.

_ Kriff  _ it was hot. Ahsoka wrinkled her nose. The air was sticky and wet, clinging to her skin as it rushed inside the gunship, and it was warm.  _ Really  _ warm. It wasn't the same warmth as the desert, the dry, oppressive heat that beat down on her skin and left it raw and peeling, but it was just as suffocating. It felt almost like drowning—or what she assumed drowning would feel like. Water pooling into every inch of her lungs, struggling to breathe, wetness clinging to her skin. That kind of thing. 

She stood as tall as she could, desperate to get a glimpse of the moon’s surface. White and blue armor obscured her view, clones filing out into the jungle one after another, the clanking of their boots on the metal floor giving way to soft clomping on soil and rotting leaves.

_ Come on, come on, come  _ on _ ,  _ she thought to herself. The anticipation was  _ killing  _ her.

_ Patience,  _ another voice said. It sounded suspiciously like Master Kenobi—the subconscious one, not the real-life one. She couldn't talk to him in her head. Yet.

Finally, it was their turn. She, Tally, and the clones she hadn't met yet rushed forwards. The jungle seemed to unravel before her, in all its green, blinding splendor, and she couldn't  _ wait  _ to be in the middle of it, to breathe in the life around her— 

A hand clamped down on her shoulder. Tally and the other clones jumped down without her, leaving her alone in the ship with… 

She looked up and shrank slightly. “Hey, Skyguy,” she greeted, ignoring the shiver of apprehension she felt at his glower. “What’s up?”

“You need to take this seriously,” he told her firmly. “I can't spend all day watching you prance around in the jungle.”

“I  _ am _ —” Ahsoka tried to protest, but he just talked over her. 

“No, you aren’t. You're practically _bouncing_. You will stay close. You will follow my lead. And you will  _ not  _ wander off.”

“That’s not fair!” Ahsoka blurted out without thinking.

Anakin raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”

“It’s the  _ jungle,  _ master!” Ahsoka said. “There’s so much life here! It’s beautiful!” She had to make him understand. How could he not sense it? “All the light, the warmth—I’ve never felt anything like it.”

Anakin’s gaze was unsympathetic. “Never?” he asked, clearly unimpressed. Ahsoka tried to not let it get to her.

“Master, the first time I left Coruscant since Master Plo found me was when I was assigned to you. It’s nice and all, but it’s nowhere  _ near  _ as… as  _ warm  _ as this. I—I have to see it. I have to  _ be  _ in it.” 

Anakin squeezed her shoulder. “Well, you can _be in_ _it_ just fine from next to me. Where you will be walking. Is that understood.”

It wasn't a question. Ahsoka shook her head anyway. “You don’t understand! I—”

“I understand just fine,” Anakin said. He didn’t elaborate. “Now,  _ is that understood.” _

Ahsoka looked away sullenly.  _ No, you don’t. _

After a moment of angry silence, she conceded. “Yes, master. I’ll follow your lead.” 

Anakin eyed her suspiciously. “Will you?”

Ahsoka crossed her arms over her chest.  _ “Yes,  _ master.”

“Watch it, Snips.”

Ahsoka scoffed. She ripped away from Anakin’s hand and hopped out of the ship, ignoring the flash of anger that rippled through their bond. She couldn't even relish the feeling of her shoes sinking into the wet soil. Anakin had somehow managed to ruin the kriffing jungle.

She searched the crowd of clones for Tally. Maybe they could talk on the way to the beacon. He seemed nice, and she’d like to get to know him better.

She found him standing by the ARC trooper she’d noticed earlier, along with Rex, who she at least recognized. They seemed to be chatting idly about something. Now that they were out of the dim ship, she noticed that Tally’s armor was painted with lots of straight lines and repeating patterns, which she assumed were meant to resemble tally marks. It reminded her of Rex’s helmet, but it was cleaner, more purposeful. The ARC trooper he was talking to had his helmet tucked under one arm, and she noticed that he’d shaved his facial hair into a goatee. 

Human hair was so  _ cool. _

She carefully picked her way through the undergrowth and the other clones, taking in her surroundings as she went. It was pretty similar to the holos she’d seen, with the notable exception that the trees were green instead of blue. They’d landed in a clearing, so there wasn't  _ too  _ much foliage, but at the edge of the clearing, the sunlight faded into deep, cool shadows beneath a thick canopy of leaves and vines. The sight bolstered her slightly, bringing a skip to her step.

“—yeah, the DC-15A is fine, but the DC-15S just packs more of a punch, ya know—?”

“Hey Tally!” Ahsoka interrupted cheerfully. “Whatcha talking about?”

The three clones broke away from their conversation, looking down at her. She squirmed beneath their gaze, suddenly realizing that interrupting them was probably kind of rude. Oops.

But then Tally greeted her with a, “Hey, Ahsoka,” Rex with a nod and a clipped “Commander,” and her worries were assuaged. She grinned in relief.

“Hi, Rex. Who’s your friend?”

The ARC trooper eyed her warily. “Names Fives.” He said. He stuck out a hand, a hint of a challenge in his eyes.

She took it. “Ahsoka,” she said by way of introduction. She did her best to match Fives’s tight grip and shook his hand firmly. “So…what’s that about the DC-15S?”

Fives had just opened his mouth to respond when Anakin’s voice cut through the clearing. “Alright men, form up and move out! Ahsoka—” she jumped, “—with me!”

The good mood she had managed to cultivate disappeared completely, and she released Fives’s hand. “See you later,” she muttered, shoving forward into the ranks of troopers before any of them could respond. Even so, she heard a muttered,  _ what was that about?  _ as she reluctantly made her way to Anakin’s side.

She had just wanted to talk to them. It wasn't fair! First Anakin took away the jungle, and now she was taking away the few friends she had managed to make. It was so  _ stupid.  _ She just wanted to have some fun, was that so bad?

She was still grumbling to herself when she reached Anakin’s side. He had the  _ audacity  _ to smile down at her, like he was doing her some kind of favor. She glared at him, and his smile dropped. He didn't say anything, though. Just turned around and started marching into the jungle proper. She followed him, fuming silently to herself, and heard the troops fall in behind them.

A laugh rang out through the clearing. She glanced back. Fives and another ARC trooper were at the front of the march, chests heaving as they chuckled heartily at something yet another unfamiliar clone was saying. Ranks of clones marched behind them, all distinctly marked in white and blue, all foreign and strange, all laughing and talking and shoving each other’s shoulders as they set out together.

_ What if they’re laughing at me? _

Ahsoka turned away, her anger evaporating only to be replaced by shame and embarrassment and longing. She tried to pick apart her feelings, examine and release them into the Force, but it was no use. 

Maybe this was what drowning felt like.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Next chapter should be up in a week or two, maybe sooner. Check me out on Tumblr at https://galaxy-of-fools.tumblr.com/ if you’d like!


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